This week on Canal Confessions, we start with the New York Times question that had us all stumped, then spiral into the kind of tangents that make this show what it is.

First up: if you could have any skill, what would it be? One of us is fully committed to teleportation (no more commutes, no more excuses for being late).

Then the confessions come out. Alex reveals the full extent of an HGTV obsession, including strong opinions on renovation reveals and how many episodes is too many in one sitting. Shazia counters with her devotion to the Jack Hanna show and what makes it so re-watchable.

From there we wander into green-thumb territory. Who can keep a plant alive, who is a known houseplant hazard, and whose succulent has somehow survived despite total neglect? We wrap up with stories about our weirdest coworkers and the office moments we still can’t explain. Laughter happens early and often.

This week on Canal Confessions, Shazia and Alex take a cozy stroll down memory lane, with a few detours into the kitchen and out to sea.

We start by finally addressing how Shazia has been pronouncing "Socrates." Was it a bold creative choice? A happy accident? We'll let you decide, and Shazia is bracing herself for the verdict.

Then we head back in time for our favorite high school and elementary school memories. These are the little moments that still make us smile, and we're pretty sure you'll recognize a few from your own school days.

Next, it's off to Central Park, where we look back on our NYC photoshoots together. The park was gorgeous, the vibes were immaculate, and we looked great in those pics. No notes.

Then comes the baking segment! Alex shares the story behind her babka, and Shazia reveals the Italian butter cookies she makes with her husband. Expect flour on the counter, taste-testing "for quality control," and zero leftovers.

We wrap up with Shazia's whale watching boat tour, where she spotted dolphins and is still talking about it.

Warm, silly, and sweet in all the right ways, this one is best enjoyed with a slice of babka and a butter cookie in hand.

In this week's episode of Canal Confessions, Alex and Shazia kick things off with a big, heartfelt question from the NYT's list of 36 questions: Question 10, would you change anything about the way you were raised? Spoiler: neither of them would. They share what they're grateful for and what shaped them into who they are today.

Then things get a little more fun as they air their pet peeves. Alex can't stand dishes left in the sink, and Shazia has no patience for rude people. They both agree that people blasting videos on their phones in public places are the worst. Slow walkers also get a moment in the spotlight.

They wrap up with their go-to comfort foods: Alex's beloved Chinese restaurant and the Thai spot that Shazia and her husband can't stop going back to. Grab a snack, settle in, and join the chat.

This week on Canal Confessions, Shazia and Alex take you through a Friday night out that started with a pizza at Ribalta, moved on to ice cream at Mixue, and then turned into a sidequest for a Jellycat Half Moon Cookie plushie. Shazia loves her plushies, and no one was going to stand between her and this cookie.

Then Alex tells the story of two women from Arkansas he met with his partner, and how he tried (with a level of subtlety we will let you judge) to get them to listen to this very podcast. Spoiler: if you're one of them, hi, and please subscribe.

Next comes the ultimate friendship test. The hosts guess which white sauce the other loves most, and the friendship survives. Barely. They also answer the NYT question about what they're most grateful for, which gets a little heartfelt before it gets back to talking about sauces.

Then the big dreams come out. If they won the lottery, Alex is buying a watch, a very classy one. Shazia is buying a villa in Tuscany so Andrea Bocelli can be her neighbor. Whether he knows about this plan is unclear. And if they could rule a kingdom, what time period and where would it be? Somewhere between a royal decree and a snack order, the hosts decide their thrones.

Plus a few other tangents, because it wouldn't be Canal Confessions without them.

This week on Canal Confessions, we tackle the next question from the NYT's famous "36 Questions to Fall in Love": name three things you and your partner appear to have in common. Reader, we tried. We are two friends who found love in the form of a shared obsession with reading on the train, and somehow ended up in a much more intimate place: our worst travel bathroom stories.

We start wholesome, bonding over our love of books and public transit. Alex makes a heartfelt case for being featured on the Instagram account @hotguyswhoread, a dream that is undermined only slightly by the fact that he once fell asleep after reading one page. One. Very hot, very committed.

From there, the episode goes downhill, the way all great episodes do. Alex takes us to Hawaii, one of the most beautiful places on Earth, where he experienced a digestive emergency in a landscape made entirely of cliffs. No bushes. No bathrooms. Just him, nature, and a decision. Then we're on a bus in Germany, where a Pepto-Bismol went rolling to the floor and a very human question was asked: do I still take it?

Shazia counters with a full international tour of her own. She got sick in Pakistan, but plot twist: she still ended up riding a horse on the beach, which is the most cinematic way to feel terrible. And in Peru, she pooped her pants, a story she tells with the confidence of a woman who has made peace with her past.

So, what do we have in common? Books. Trains. And an unshakable ability to have our stomachs betray us in the most scenic locations on Earth. If that's not a foundation for love (or at least friendship), we don't know what is.

Recommended listening: not during lunch. Bring your own Pepto.

Fair warning: this one gets a little existential. We're finally tackling one of the darker NYT 36 Questions, the one that asks if you know how you think you'll die, and yes, we clocked how heavy that is before we even started recording. So naturally, we ease into it the responsible way: by talking about our weekend baking adventures (results: mixed, ambition: high) and the very serious business of switching over our wardrobes now that fall is here. Sweaters before feelings, as it should be.

Then we actually go there. We get into the shows that we think handled death really well onscreen, the ones that didn't sugarcoat it but also didn't wreck us for a week, and somehow have an oddly moving conversation about it.

But because we cannot sit in the deep end for too long, we swim right back to the shallow end and reminisce about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Spoiler: neither of us saw "podcaster" coming.

And just to prove we contain multitudes, we close out by announcing that next episode we are talking about poop. No transition. No shame. See you there.

We kick things off with one of the NYT's famous 36 Questions to Fall in Love: if you could be 90 with the mind of a 30-year-old or the body of a 30-year-old, which do you pick? Turns out we're both on the exact same page here, no debate, no hesitation, just two people fully ready to trade in the knees for the abs.

From there we spiral into the bigger question lurking behind it: what do you actually want to have done before you blow out 90 candles on a cake that's basically a fire hazard at that point? Bucket lists etc. it's all on the table.

Somewhere in between, we take a detour through Pakistan and Poland, two places, two vibes, and somehow both come up in the same breath as holiday food traditions, because apparently we cannot talk about culture without talking about what's on the table. Pierogi and nihari are both getting a shoutout this episode.

And because no episode is complete without someone's grand plan to reshape society: Shazia wants to open a school AND personally shut down every SeaWorld on Earth (the orcas would like to thank her), while Alex has quietly decided he's just going to build his own house from scratch, no permits mentioned, no timeline given, full confidence.

Bucket lists, 90 candles, pierogi, and an orca liberation movement, this one's got a little bit of everything.

This week on Canal Confessions, Alex and Shazia take on NYT Question #5: "When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?" It turns out they both have plenty to share.

Alex opens with his own take on "Message in a Bottle," complete with a few creative lyric choices, and Shazia shares her own personal SOS: a serious craving for grilled cheese and tomato soup.

From there it turns into a full musical tour. They swap dance jams and concert stories, with Shazia bringing the crowd-pleasing favorites and Alex bringing the early-days finds, including pre-fame Icona Pop, plus a Lady Gaga show from her heyday. Alex shares a heartfelt detour about Eddie Money and his mom, and the two revisit their teen years (hello, Evanescence). Michael Bublé also gets his moment on the record.

Also featured: a bonus tangent on AI music.